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Man gets 15 months for stealing from charity

Former office administrator for Christian Motorcycle Association stole about $100,000
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A Red Deer man has been sentenced to 15 months in prison for stealing $100,000 from a charitable group.

Kenneth Van Someren, 53, pleaded guilty to fraud over $5,000 in Red Deer provincial court on Wednesday. He was ordered to pay restitution to the Christian Motorcycle Association, where he had worked as an office administrator.

He was charged in March after a detailed investigation led by the Red Deer RCMP Fraud Unit’s financial crimes investigator and supported by FINTRAC, Canada’s national financial intelligence unit.

A fraud investigation began in 2016 after the suspect’s former employer, the Christian Motorcycle Association, reported irregularities in their banking activity. With support from FINTRAC, the Red Deer RCMP financial crimes investigator was able to determine a pattern of theft over a period of almost two years that involved fraudulent e-transfers, forged cheques and illicit use of the club credit card.

The accused worked for the motorcycle association from September 2013 to June 2015.